Coutts further expands Middle East Advisory Board with three appointments

Coutts’ Middle East Advisory Board was created in October 2013 to help broaden and shape the firm’s ambitious plans, aiding hiring and improving performance by strengthening client relationships. The Board continues to meet twice a year to provide counsel to Management in the region.

Michael Dismorr, Chairman for Coutts Middle East Advisory Board, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Hind, Raja and Lama to our Advisory Board, and are confident their collective knowledge and leadership will be of great value to us. Increasingly Middle Eastern women are taking leading business and entrepreneurial roles and we are very pleased to add three of the most distinguished Middle Eastern business women to our Advisory Board.”

Coutts supports various diversity initiatives including recently hosting the highly acknowledged and respected Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) for 70 members and AIWF’s global partners at Coutts Headquarters at 440 Strand in London. To date, Board members have attended two successful meetings. Members reviewed topics of key significance to Coutts, including financial results and strategy. Through providing invaluable recommendations and advice, the members are aiding Coutts’ business development in the Middle East, one of Coutts key growth markets.

Hind Bahwan is the Founder and Chairperson of Bahwan CyberTek Group which is focused on IT, logistics and engineering projects. She is also Director of Suhail Bahwan Group, one of Oman’s premier family groups with a turnover exceeding $4bn and diversified interests in manufacturing, construction, trading and real estate. She is involved in and has served on the Boards of a variety of public and private organisations. She is a Member of the Middle Centre Advisory Board of the London School of Economics and a Board member of the Family Business Network for GCC.

Raja Easa Al Gurg is the Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, she actively supports and encourages Arab women entrepreneurs, hosting the first MENA Businesswomen’s Network Forum in her capacity as the President of the Dubai Business Women Council. She is the President of Dubai Business Women Council, Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Dubai Healthcare City Authority; Board member of the Dubai Chamber Of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), Dubai Women’s Association and HSBC UAE.

Lama Al Sulaiman is Vice Chairwoman and Board Member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She was the first woman in Saudi Arabia to be elected as a Board member in the Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and was later re-elected deputy Chairwoman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry in December 2009, becoming the first female to hold such a post in Saudi history. She is the Head of the Saudi delegation in ILO. She is also a Board member and business developer at Rolaco Holdings, and a Board member of Foras Investment in Saudi Arabia as well as Club Med in France.

Coutts has been present in the Middle East for many years and opened its first representative office, regulated by the Central Bank, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai 14 years ago. In addition, The firm has regional offices in the Dubai International Financial Centre (regulated by the DFSA), Abu Dhabi through a representative office, and in the Qatar Financial Centre in Doha (regulated by the QFCRA) and, in 2011, announced its intention to grow the business in core international markets, including the Middle East.

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